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Pad Prik Khing Pla Tort (Dry Red Curry of Crispy Salmon)

By John Chantarasak
Stir fry dry red curry with crispy salmon and vegetables.
Photo by Maureen M. Evans

The name pad prik khing indicates that this is a chile (prik) stir-fry (pad) with ginger (khing). The first two assumptions are correct, but I’ve never come across a recipe for pad prik khing that includes ginger. Instead, this is a fragrant Thai stir-fry or dry curry that is rich in flavor, due to the curry paste commonly being cooked out in rendered pork fat. Nowadays, most Thai cooks reach for a shop-bought red curry paste to cook this dish, and if you wish to do the same instead of making your own curry paste as detailed below, then please do. My only recommendation would be that you adjust store-bought curry paste slightly by pounding through some dried shrimp, as these will give the paste the extra dimension and richness needed for this dish.

This recipe was excerpted from ‘Kin Thai’ by John Chantarasak. Buy the full book on Amazon.

What you’ll need

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Serves 2

Ingredients

For the red curry paste (khreuang gaeng daeng)

10 dried long red chiles, seeded and soaked in cold water until soft
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. thinly sliced lemongrass, root and outer husks removed
2 Tbsp. chopped galangal
1 Tbsp. chopped coriander (cilantro) root or coriander stem
2 Tbsp. chopped banana shallot
2 Tbsp. chopped garlic
4 Tbsp. dried shrimp, soaked until tender and drained well

For the salmon

1 Tbsp. fish sauce
½ tsp. superfine sugar
160 g (5½ oz.) salmon, fillet with skin on, sliced into 1½-inch chunks
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
3 Tbsp. rendered pork fat or vegetable oil
2 Tbsp. red curry paste (see above)
1 Tbsp. palm or brown sugar
3 makrut lime leaves (fresh or frozen), torn, plus 2 extra, finely shredded, to serve
2 Tbsp. green peppercorn sprigs
2 Tbsp. fine green beans, cut into ¾-inch lengths
1 long red chile, sliced on the diagonal into ½-inch thick pieces
1 Tbsp. sliced fingerroot (use the long slender part), optional

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    For the curry paste, pound all the ingredients in a stone pestle and mortar until very smooth.

    Step 2

    In a large bowl, mix together the fish sauce and superfine sugar until the sugar has dissolved. Add the salmon to the bowl and leave to marinate for 5 minutes.

    Step 3

    Pour the oil for deep-frying into a large wok to a depth of 3 inches and heat until the oil reaches 330°F on a cooking thermometer. Alternatively, drop a small cube of bread into the hot oil; if it turns golden brown in about 25 seconds, the oil is ready. Drain the salmon and carefully lower it into the hot oil, keeping the fish sauce marinade for later. Deep-fry the salmon for 5 minutes, or until crispy and dark golden. Remove the salmon and leave to drain on a plate lined with paper towels.

    Step 4

    Pour off the oil and keep for another use. Add the pork fat or vegetable oil to the wok and warm over a medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the curry paste and stir-fry for 5 minutes, or until it smells fragrant, with a good sheen of oil. Add the palm sugar and reserved fish sauce marinade to season.

    Step 5

    Add the crispy salmon to the wok, along with the torn makrut lime leaves, green peppercorns, green beans, sliced chile and fingerroot (if using), then gently toss and fold everything together to coat well with the seasoned curry paste. If the paste is too stiff and thick, then moisten with 1–2 tablespoons water, but be careful not to add too much liquid, as this should be a thick, dry sauce. It will taste rich and oily, with a well-seasoned salty and sweet background. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with the shredded makrut lime leaves.

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Reprinted with permission from Kin Thai by John Chantarasak, copyright © 2022. Photographs by Maureen M. Evans. Published by Hardie Grant, June 2022. Buy the full book from Amazon or Bookshop.
TagsCookbooksThaiSoutheast AsianAsianMainCurryStir-FrySalmonFishSeafoodChileVegetableDeep FryWok

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